Saturday, 29 November 2014

I reminisce a childhood memory with my cousin where
we once discussed the cleanliness issues. I realize now, it was a very
enlightened discussion. Makes me wonder, where does this littering all around
start from? Go to a local paan shop late
evening on weekends or even weekdays and witness the civilized and the affluent
crowd of the city throwing of paan ka patta’s
on the road outside their car
windows! Shameful act it is!Well, we have 3 types of people in our society. Type1 are those who casually litter
whenever commuting, without realizing the condition of their surroundings.
They throw whatever stuff they’re eating or packets that they’re carrying. This
seems to be an oblivious state of mind.

Now, Type 2 are the ones, who before littering their surroundings, first
check here and there and try to make sure that they’re not being watched. When,
it feels safe, they drop a packet or two or may be the leftovers of the fruit
or polythene full of garbage, at a clean spot, giving a chance to let others litter
around. It’s a human tendency to look out for collective garbage and then throw
theirs there, without realizing, that one person started it in the middle of
the road inviting others to pile it up and make it a garbage point. This type
portray them as being oblivious (who they're obviously not).

The 3rd Type, are the ones who
never litter. Either they keep the leftovers with themselves till they find a
public dustbin or they carry a carry-bag whenever they leave their houses, just
in case if they need to throw anything halfway. I know these kinds are rare but
they do exist.

This post is dedicated to the Type 3’s, to speak up their voices and join them with Reckitt
Benckiser on Strepsils- #AbMontuBolega campaign and be that change. I see so
many people (yes the educated and wannabe sophisticated ones) showing their
concern over the cleanliness of the country and how no one cares to make an
effort, while they when visiting a foreign nation will blow trumpets of cleanliness being maintained there and everyone contributing to it. While, on
the other hand, at the same time, they themselves throw stuff on roadside,
moments after giving a lecture on cleanliness and sanitation. Hypocrisy.. Isn’t
it?

Nobody expects anyone to do wonders and devote hours
of cleaning. I feel, it’s all about self discipline that should come from
inside. Prime Minister Narendra Modi may give thousands of speeches or start
with uncountable Swachh Bharat campaigns to clean India, but it won’t help
until and unless one has that desire to bring about the transformation and Be
that Change!

Potholes on roads are left all ignored for the government
to come and fill it up. All of us feel it’s not our job to do, it’s
somebody else’s. Be that somebody. Roads in residential areas are a mess. Not a
single person in the neighbourhood would pay heed to bring the idea before the
society and get it done. After all, it’s government’s job to do. Go to
public toilets, temples, hospitals, banquets, small lanes, parks, and what not. Every
damn thing is filled with filth and dirt. Its cliché to mention how we tarnish
our monuments with names of beloveds and how the message on walls to keep the
area clean, is stained with red paint and the state of cleanliness at railway stations depict a true
picture to the foreigners of who come visit our country and how our Indian railway track is the
world’s largest public toilet!! The Atithhi Devo Bhava by Amir Khan is a
remarkable ad which makes an attempt to shake the conscious of every individual and help them
realize what are they doing with the country and what image are they building of
the nation.

When it comes to the hygiene of Indians, they are
pretty famous round the globe. Examples are plenty. Millions of Indians don’t
eat or drink anything till they have brushed their teeth. Guests take off their
shoes/foot wears outside the house and then enter. A toilet paper in the
bathroom is not enough. We need water after we poop! Everybody cleans their
houses like crazy at the time of Diwali, and the list goes on and on and on!.
Then why such a laid back attitude outside our houses? May be that’s the way
we have seen our aura since childhood. It is something which is there in the system from
years and it will need everyone’s contribution to change that mindset.#AbMontuBolegais a digital campaign which is encouraging people to speak their minds without
any prohibition. Montu is someone who cares not only for himself but for those
who are around him, for what is right! He tried to speak up earlier too before his parents, friends and colleagues but couldn't succeed and kept mum. There is Montu in everyone of us. We just
need to bring him out.

The main aim of#AbMontuBolegacampaign is to “Speak
your heart out! Khol ke Bolo”. It provides a platform to connect and aims to
build trust and help create support for citizens to speak for what they think
is right, with a healthy voice and the courage to speak.

Wednesday, 19 November 2014

It was a long
winter night. Roshni was sitting in front of the fireplace.. in tranquilty..
zillion of thoughts crossing her mind.. of pain.. of joy.. smiles, jokes, laughter,
love, happiness, togetherness, sharing each other, making time for each other
even on the busiest of days. It was never about who is taking the initiative to
spend time.. it was never about who is making more efforts for the relationship.. it was never about who
booked the table for two or got movie tickets, or who is making up
first or calling first and ending last.. the only thing that mattered was the
outcome of all the actions taken by any of them. The quality time that they
both spent with each other was the only thing that mattered. Roshni missed her
friends and felt guilty too about the fact that she isn't able to give time to
them, but meeting Raghav and spending time with him took all the anxieties
away. Just a look after a long day at work took away all the worries.. a simple
smile from him was the only thing that mattered. Roshni and Raghav.. their relationship was
beyond perfect, having small imperfections in themselves. It was a love marriage.

They dated each other for 3 years and then planned to get married. It was
beautiful. Their mornings, their nights, their endless talks, their missing
each other while away at work! The passionate love that they made with each
other, the chemistry that they both shared, the spark that was always there
between them, it was something out of the world! But it was then, that made Roshni
so lost in her thoughts? What was the dilemma in which she was stuck? The pain
in her eyes, the numbness in her voice, the fine lines on her forehead.. what
was going on?

Raghav comes
home from work. Tired.

Door opens.

Raghav- “Hey..
Hii.. sup?”

Roshni quite

Raghav- “You Ok
honey?”

Silence.

Raghav- “ It was
a hectic day in the office today. Had to receive a few delegates and then work
with them. Skipped my lunch as well. M really famished. We can order something
if you’re not in the mood to get up and I have no energy to cook”

Roshni- “Sounds
good”

Raghav- “Cool”

After getting freshen up Raghav tries again
to find out what’s wrong with Roshni. There must be something that's eating her
head and that’s why she's so quite.

It was their
daily routine to come straight to home right after work.. have dinner.. watch tv.. and go to bed.
The daily chores of life makes everything so usual specially when someone has
completed 3 years of their marriage. It seems so normal to concentrate on work
and responsibilities than each other. And there’s no harm in it as long as both
are there for each other or just get each other by making a simple eye contact. Yes,
they were this close. The busy life of Raghav in a city like Mumbai, was taking
him away from Roshni, he being oblivious about the fact. But Roshni was keeping track of
everything. Sharing love messages and words was immaterial for them, but that
look in the eyes of serenity, of happiness, of being with each other, was the
thing that counted. Raghav was losing that sight. It had never happened in
their six years of togetherness where he has missed a single emotion of Roshni. It was just not possible. It was not his thing. And that was one
thing that kept things alive between the two. A simple hug before leaving for
work, or a hand in hand in times of pain without consoling or talking or explaining
anything, a simple gesture of naughtiness, solved all the puzzles. . All these are
small acts which keep a relationship alive..it’s spark bright. Where had it all
gone? What was it that Roshni was drowned into. She wasn’t worried.. neither
was she taking any stress about all of it. A lot had been going on at her work
place lately.. missing deadlines.. rebuking boss.. jealous colleagues.. unable
to grab business, were a few examples that took a toll on her. And at home, she
barely conversed anything. He didn't ask and she didn't tell. He didn't see, she didn't show. He didn't care, she didn't care. And this kept on happening, until
that day when she got some time to herself and thoughts on thoughts kept
pouring in into her lil head. She didn't even remember the last time when he
touched her.. no physical contact.. at all.! Or even asked if what was going
on,assuming everything must be fine. Both of them were too busy to talk such silly stuff.

Raghav once
again tries to find out the issue.

Raghav- “Now
tell me, what’s wrong? Why sitting at one place for so long?”

Roshni- “Hey”.

Coming
back from her thoughts and realizing Raghav has been around for quite sometime.
Her eyes were in pain, in desperation, in need. There was fear rushing in them.
There was agony in them. There was everything but happiness. Raghav’s eyes was
stuck on Roshni’s, without taking his eyes off her, he started
getting all the answers to his questions. His pupil dilated and with every look
he was realizing it had been ages, he had sat with her like that, his eyes
meeting hers. It suddenly occurred to him, he had missed all of it so much.

He keeps staring
her and holds her face, she’s so
beautiful. He touches her hands. They’re
so soft, so sensual.. he thinks. He’s missed it all.. from the time he
doesn't even remembers. A rush of adrenaline goes through their bodies and
give them a sense of satisfaction.. of being together.. of the divine feeling
that nothing is wrong.. everything is good.. everything is smooth.. like before.

He gives her a
nice long hug. Tears roll down her eyes.. of happiness and peace and relief. As
if all the pain, all the trouble had vanished in one single moment. That is the
power of touch. Touch of a dear one. It relieves an individual to an extent one
cannot even think of! Touch can comfort us. Reassure us. Relax us. Even arouse
us... Words do lie.. looks can deceive..
But a touch.. it does reveals the truth!

To touch someone
you love is to acknowledge their presence and to communicate your desire for
them. Touching someone regularly you love and yourself, gets the endorphins
flowing, which creates a sense of caring and please, and calm the stresses of
the day.

I was ten years old
when I once visited Rajasthan with my family, staying with the locals near the famous
temple of Goddess Kaila Devi, Karauli. Getting up early in the morning to visit the temple and doing morning rituals, gave rise to the need to defecate.. which possible only in the open.. in the nearby fields. Obviously, I got
very cranky about this and disagreed as well to do it in the open. On the
other hand, it was getting difficult for my parents to make some arrangement
for me and unmanageable for me as I had to hold on the matter inside me
for long :P.

To my rescue, one of the family friend knew a place nearby where I
could release myself from the morning torture! A public toilet! Yes, of cors, its
condition was pathetic.. disgusting is the word I guess. The place was stinking and disgustingly
filthy! Well, on the brighter side I didn't had to defecate in the open. Also,
it was not something that I had to deal with everyday. But now, as a grown up, makes
me mull over the fact that there are so many women out there who have adapted themselves to this
system.

And this adaptation to
the system has engulfed the need to have the most basic necessity of an individual, to have a toilet in the house! I mean, can you beat the fact that 626 million Indians
defecate in the open! It really comes as a shock to me. Also, even if there are
toilets available, convincing people to refrain from open defecation and to use
these toilets is a major hurdle. Two lakh fifteen thousand children under the
age of five die from diarrhoea, one
every second (thanks to defecating in the open), where, India has the highest
number of under five deaths globally.

They say, every dark
cloud has a silver lining. But what about the fact that these people have
learnt to stay in that dark cloud and don’t want to see the silver lining. Isn’t the
situation horrifying enough? We talk about development, education,
infrastructure, economic growth and what not?! We, the youth of the nation,
want to put an end to the conservatism that is ubiquitous in the country. There are men out there, Indian men, who still believe in purdah system, which is prevalent in a few villages, preventing
other men to see their women, along with the fact that it (purdah) signifies honour, respect
and dignity of the females, while at the same time, these same men don’t feel
ashamed of the fact that their own women, including their mothers, wives and
sisters, defecate in the open. Isn’t it their moral responsibility and females’
individual right to have privacy and access to a hygienic toilet? Is it too
much to ask for? And where does the dignity of women go then?

Defecating in the open
or lack of sanitation is a major factor for causing deadly diseases like
typhoid, cholera, hepatitis, diarrhoea, etc. It can also lead to malnutrition
and stunted growth in children. Also, there are strong gender impacts like lack
of safety, private toilets make women and girls vulnerable to violence and is an impediment to girls’ education. Rapes and sexual molestation
take place when women go out due to natures' call and search for places secluded
in the hours of darkness and become prey of these demons.

Lot of initiatives have
been taken by the Government of India to subsidise the construction of toilets
but not much has come in hand yet. The “NO TOILETS, NO BRIDE”, slogan launched
in Haryana in 2005 urging the brides to reject a groom if he did not have the
lavatory at home, didn't suffice the purpose.

The recent visit of
Mr.Bill Gates to India and his meeting with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
has really taken the subject further. This is not the kind of issue every politicians
like to talk about. But Mr. Modi has done more to raise the awareness of the requirement for toilets than any other leader in the country has done so far. Creating
good sanitation options for people, a safe place to poop is the need of the
hour right now.

Just
building the toilets is not going to solve the problem as open defecation is a
practice acquired from the time people learn to walk. When they grow up in an
environment where everyone does it, even if later in life they have access to
proper sanitation, they will revert back to it.

Domex, the leading
toilet cleaner brand of Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), announced the launch
of Domex Toilet Academy (DTA) in November 2013. They
are doing an excellent job and so far their efforts have resulted in bringing
the change in Maharashtra and Orrisa and they aim to build 24,000
toilets by 2015 in areas faced with the problem of open defecation, where
people do not have access to improved sanitation. Let us come together and be a
part of this campaign.#ToiletforBabliis Indibloggers’s way of contributing towardsDomex initiative and making you
and me a part of it.

You
too can become the part of this campaign and can bring about the change in the
lives of millions of kids, thereby showing your support for the Domex
Initiative. All you need to do is “click” on the “Contribute Tab” on www.domex.in and Domex will contribute Rs.5to eradicate
open defecation for millions of kids like Babli.

This is an exciting time, not just
for India, but for everyone who cares about giving the poorest people a chance
to lead healthy and productive lives. With all the attention and innovation going on in
these areas—from health to financial services—we have a fantastic opportunity
to make an impact. It’s inspiring to see India moving to the forefront of these
efforts.